Applied Materials,
Inc. and DISCO Corporation today announced a joint effort to develop wafer
thinning processes for fabricating through-silicon vias (TSVs) in 3-dimensional
(3-D) semiconductors. The two companies will be working together to develop
integrated, high-performance process flows intended to lower the cost, reduce
the risk and accelerate time to market for customers' next generation chips.
Through-silicon via technology is a new method that enables higher density,
lower-power devices in a smaller footprint by vertically stacking chips. To
make this 3-D stack, each chip or wafer layer must be reduced in thickness by
up to 90% and bonded to a temporary carrier in order to maintain structural
integrity during the thermal and mechanical stresses of semiconductor processing.
Combining DISCO’s precision grinding equipment with Applied’s etch,
dielectric deposition, physical vapor deposition and chemical mechanical planarization
systems, the two companies expect to develop wafer thinning and post-thinning
processes of wafers bonded to silicon and glass carriers. Some of the key technical
requirements in developing manufacturing-worthy equipment and process solutions
are wafer structural and edge integrity, handling, dimensional control, particle
control, stress management and thermal profile control.
“The alliance of Applied’s process integration expertise and our
leading wafer thinning systems is great news for chipmakers planning to use
TSV technology,” said Nobukazu Dejima, president of DISCO HI-TEC America,
Inc. “The capability to validate complete process flows using thinned
wafers at our Santa Clara research laboratory and Applied’s Maydan Technology
Center gives us a unique opportunity to exploit the advantages of thinned wafers
in multiple TSV integration schemes.”
“We’re pleased to work with DISCO to advance this exciting and
disruptive technology,” said Hans Stork, group vice president and chief
technology officer of Applied’s Silicon Systems Group. “Our strategy
to collaborate with DISCO and other leading equipment suppliers is an innovative
way of doing business that can deliver robust solutions to mitigate our customers’
risk and lower the overall cost of device fabrication on ultra-thin substrates.”